Valorant, as a tactical shooter, carries a modest but diverse arsenal of weapons, each with its own set of pros and limitations. Aside from pistols, there are five types of primary Valorant weapons: SMGs, Rifles, Sniper Rifles, Shotguns, and Machine Guns.
Ranking weapons on a tier list is a subjective effort, especially since each player has their own style and way of playing. However, there is enough data to determine which guns provide the most headshots and success rates in both casual and ranked play.
Before we rank them, let’s take a look at the Valorant’s armory of weapons.
Valorant Pistols
Classic – The Classic is the default pistol, having both a normal left-click fire, and right-click burst fire. While recently nerfed, the Classic remains a great option in pistol rounds because it allows you to purchase both armor and several skills.
Shorty – The Shorty is a fearsome gun that costs only 150 credits and has a one-shot potential if all bullets hit. It is the most cost-effective option when holding close angles because it is a small shotgun that often results in at least one kill if foes choose to push you.
Frenzy – A fully automatic pistol that is extremely strong in short to medium-range situations. This makes Frenzy an excellent choice for both holding down and retaking areas.
Ghost – The Ghost is a great choice for pistol-round purchases since bullets may one-shot adversaries without armor. With 15 shots, the Ghost possesses the most in a single clip and can quickly take out many foes.
Sheriff – The Sheriff is a high-risk and high-reward pistol due to its high cost a meager 6 bullets per clip. Players cannot purchase any armor or abilities during pistol rounds, which cost 800 credits. The Sheriff can one-shot headshot foes in the short to medium range, although bullet damage decreases. It is a lethal pick in eco buys since early selections can snowball rounds rapidly.
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Valorant SMGs
Stinger – At only 950 credits, Stinger is an excellent choice for rushing enemies at close range. The SMG has a rapid-fire rate and can quickly eliminate adversaries. The SMG aim-down sight method also makes Stringer useful in medium-range scenarios.
Spectre – When a “proper” primary rifle is not available, the Spectre is typically the first choice. The Spectre has good accuracy in the short to medium range and is especially effective while running and gunning close to the target due to its fast fire rate.
Valorant Rifles
Bulldog – Bulldog is the cheapest and slowest firing full automatic rifle. The Bulldog, like the Stinger, is armed with a burst fire. The Bulldog, with its aim down sight, is an excellent choice for medium to long-range combat. While the Bulldog cannot provide a one-shot headshot followed by other bodyshot hits from the burst firing, it may still take down adversaries with a single click.
Guardian – The Guardian is the only semi-automatic rifle in Valorant. With only 12 bullets, each is deadly, with strong wall penetration and headshots that quickly kill foes at any distance. This makes the rifle exceptionally powerful at medium and long-range scenarios. However, the Guardian’s slow fire rate makes it a highly skill-dependent gun, as even shooting foes in the body takes a long time.
Phantom – The Phantom is a major Valorant weapon that can be used in any situation due to its medium to high fire rate and tight recoil. However, while the Phantom is still effective in long-range combat, its greatest disadvantage is the loss in bullet damage.
Vandal – Another of the main primary weapons, the Vandal is similarly useful in all situations, albeit having some distinct advantages and disadvantages over the Phantom. The Vandal’s strong point is that bullets are not impacted by bullet damage drop, making it a must-have in maps like Breeze. View our thorough comparison of the Vandal and Phantom.
Valorant Sniper Rifles
Marshal – The Marshal is the game’s most affordable sniper, costing only 950 credits, which is around 20% less than the Operator. While it requires more than one body or leg shot to kill foes, it may still one-shot them, making it a dangerous choice for expert players. The marshal is distinctive in that it has a quick scoping animation and a relatively fast run speed, allowing players to easily peak and challenge angles.
Operator – The Operator is by far the greatest gun for holding down angles because to its ability to one-shot foes in the body from a long distance. Despite being nerfed multiple times, the Operator remains a top pick, particularly in lower ranks where players typically dry-peak angles.
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LMGS
Ares – The Ares is a low-cost gun with a 50 mag clip and excellent accuracy when aiming down sight. Its high wall penetration also makes it an excellent tool for pre-firing angles and typical camping places, and it is particularly effective for Sova players.
Odin – The Odin has all of the same characteristics as the areas, but it costs more than twice as much. The Odin compensates for having high damage, twice the clip of the Ares, and a higher fire rate.
Valorant Weapon Tier List
While gun selections are very situational, based on playstyle, and vary by rank, we have created a generic Valorant weapons tier list that takes into account their cost and effectiveness in various situations.
Both lists rank firearms and pistols according to play rate, success rate, and frequency of use. It does not necessarily imply that you will be better if you choose 1-2-3 as your loadout and the rest is crap; it simply shows how prevalent each weapon is in play and how well they perform in terms of accuracy and headshot percentage.
Weapon
- Phantom
- Vandal
- Operator
- Judge
- Spectre
- Marshal
- Guardian
- Odin
- Stinger
- Bulldog
- Ares
- Bucky
Valorant Situational Buys and How to Master Them
Not everything goes as planned. Sometimes you’ll have to force buy or play suboptimal load-outs, especially after losing post-plant or critical economy rounds. Here are some recent successful purchases.
Top 3 Eco Buys
- Shorty + Half armor
- Sheriff + Full armor
- Marshal
Top 3 Force Buys
- Judge
- Spectre + Half armor
- Ares + Half armor